IN A shocking turn of events, Tottenham Hotspur announced today that Jose Mourinho and his coaching staff were to be “relieved of their duties” just days before they face Manchester City in the League Cup Final.

Spurs announced that ex-player Ryan Mason would take over temporarily and that “a further update will follow in due course.”

For fans, Mourinho’s appointment in November 2019 was a shock itself, as beloved manager Mauricio Pochettino departed the club after five years, following a run of bad form and a Champion’s League final loss that the side failed to come back from.

In his first season at Spurs, the hysteria and hopefulness that surrounded his joining soon fell flat, as the Lilywhites managed to scrape a top-six finish, securing a place in the Europa league.

Fast-forward to November 2020, it seemed as though his words had meant something, as Spurs sat in first place in the Premier League Table. A chance to win the Europa League and the FA cup were also still intact.

Mourinho’s reign at Spurs was full of excuses. After the disappointment of his first season, he reassured fans that he needed a full pre-season with the players to achieve the desired results. His managerial style suits some and not others and can be the making or breaking of a player.

Tanguy Ndombele, who became Spurs’ record signing when he joined from Lyon in 2019, is arguably one of his success stories. Dele Alli was the latter.

Ndombele looked set to leave the club not long after joining, but is now a regular starter, and one of the most promising creative mids in the premier league.

He said in an interview with the Guardian: “If you know Mourinho then you understand how he behaves.

“I wouldn’t call it confrontation. He’s just got a certain way of sending his messages and it all depends on how you receive those messages.”

Rumours spread like wildfire as Mourinho’s sacking coincided with the announcement of the hugely controversial European Super League.

The plans for a closed, invitation-only “competition” have drawn an angry response from fans of all the clubs involved, and could see those clubs kicked out of the Premier League and their players banned from international competition.

Speaking to the Star, a spokesperson from the Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust echoed an earlier statement condemning “the betrayal of Tottenham Hotspur,” adding that “the current board is prepared to risk the club’s reputation and its future in the opportunistic pursuit of greed.”

“We demand the board immediately disassociates itself from the breakaway league.”

Spurs now need to turn their focus to reclaiming their identity as a squad, which in terms of playing style has been lost to a sea of individual errors and negative tactics of “parking the bus.”

At a time of real uncertainty for the future of football, now more than ever the squad need to dig deep and show resilience and quality in the cup final, for the fans and for the badge.